Red Tractor’s response to the Farm Assurance Review

Red Tractor has committed to delivering tangible, positive change for farmers

The Red Tractor Board of Directors has welcomed the recommendations of the Farm Assurance Review committing to a wide-ranging programme of improvements.

The Board published its comprehensive response on 25 March 2025 following an intensive period of reflection and consultation among all Red Tractor’s Sector Board food and farming industry representatives and independent experts.

The response acknowledges the deep frustrations expressed by producers and welcomes the Review as “an opportunity to reset relationships with farmers, and to better align with all stakeholders on the role assurance will play in a rapidly changing world.”

The Board, which includes farmers, farming unions, AHDB, retailers, processors and independent experts, responded to each of the nine strategic recommendations provided by the Farm Assurance Review’s independent commissioners. It also committed actions towards delivering the 56 detailed recommendations.

“All involved with Red Tractor want farmers to feel heard, involved and proud to be part of Red Tractor,” said Alistair Mackintosh, interim Chair of the Red Tractor Board. “The detailed response published today is testament to our genuine commitment to deliver real change for farmers.”

“The Farm Assurance Review has offered us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take stock of how assurance does and doesn’t work for producers, and a renewed focus on delivering tangible, positive change for them.”

“Our commitments balance rigour and speed while also ensuring Red Tractor continues to deliver value for farmers and reassurance to customers.”

To ensure rapid improvements, Red Tractor has begun working on:

Enhancing audit efficiency to reduce the burden on farmers.
Leveraging new technology to improve efficiency and ease demonstrating compliance.
Strengthening communication with farmers and growers, ensuring they remain at the heart of decision-making

Red Tractor will regularly report progress on its delivery against the Farm Assurance Review on this webpage.

Read Red Tractor’s detailed response to the recommendations of the Farm Assurance Review

Read the statement from Red Tractor’s Board in full

Read summaries of Sector Board discussions

“This review is a turning point for farm assurance in the UK. It is a call to action for all farm assurance schemes to deliver better outcomes for farmers and producers. Where possible, Red Tractor has committed to immediate action, prioritising improvements where we can have most impact. For more complex issues where there is a need or opportunity to work with others, Red Tractor has already written to those involved to offer collaboration and looks forward to working with them if requested to do so.”

Jim Moseley, Red Tractor CEO

FAQs

Click to read the answers.

What is the Farm Assurance Review?

The UK Farm Assurance Review is an independent initiative sponsored by the NFU, NFU Scotland, UFU and AHDB. It aims to assess and modernise the UK’s farm assurance schemes to ensure they remain relevant and effective in a post-Brexit and increasingly food-conscious world. The Commissioners of the review have published a detailed report, including nine strategic and 56 detailed recommendations for action by numerous organisations.

What was Red Tractor’s involvement in the Farm Assurance Review?

While the Review makes recommendations for all farm assurance schemes and the organisations that work with them, Red Tractor is the UK’s largest farm assurance scheme and was therefore considered throughout the report. Red Tractor engaged fully and transparently with the Commissioners to help inform their recommendations.

What areas is Red Tractor prioritising?

We’re prioritising work to deliver recommendations where there is particular need for improvement, or where Red Tractor can deliver the most impact. For example, we’ve begun work to improve our communications with farmers, streamline our standards, improve audit efficiency and embrace new technology, all of which should reduce the audit burden for farmers. We are also doubling down on our efforts to increase engagement with farmers as part of our leadership culture. All the priority areas are highlighted in the detailed response.

Who is monitoring progress, and holding Red Tractor accountable?

Dr David Llewellyn one of the original commissioners of the Farm Assurance Review has been appointed by AHDB and the farming unions to oversee progress on an ongoing basis. Red Tractor will be submitting updates to Dr Llewellyn direct as well as reporting to its Board, which includes representatives from across the farming sectors, and sharing public updates via our website.

Every sector is different – does Red Tractor’s approach allow for this?

The Red Tractor Sector Board meetings which took place during February underlined the range of views, requirements and experiences across different industry sectors. These have all been considered in our response to the Farm Assurance Review. As a result, we will continue to work with the Sector Boards to develop more tailored approaches where needed while also bearing in mind the nature of many mixed enterprise farms.

How can people contribute ideas to improve assurance?

We encourage farmers to share their views through Red Tractor’s post assessment surveys – every farm business for which we have an email address will receive an invitation to participate in this immediately after an assessment. All stakeholders can also reach out to their representatives on the Red Tractor Sector Boards. Over the coming months we will be developing new opportunities for farmers to engage with Red Tractor online and in person, including at face-to-face events. We also welcome any feedback by email to memberhelp@redtractor.org.uk.

What percentage of Red Tractor’s Board members are farmers, and how are they contributing?

Around 30% of all our Board members are farmers and growers. Through the Sector Boards, they have participated in developing Red Tractor’s response to the Review and will continue to have a pivotal role going forwards as we collaborate and consult on everything we do. Farmers and growers who are members of our Board of Directors, Sector Boards and Technical Advisory Committees are identified on our website.

How does Red Tractor plan to improve communications with farmers?

Red Tractor is totally committed to ensuring that farmers see, hear and feel real change. Over the coming months, we will be reviewing our communications and developing a new plan that will include face-to-face meetings around the country to gain feedback about the changes, as well as other opportunities for input such as webinars and website interaction on top of regular printed and email updates. This will start with a special printed edition of our Members Matters newsletter in April, which will include details of farmer representatives on Sector Boards and share examples of work already underway to help deliver the recommendations of the Review.

Scroll to read comments from Red Tractor Board Members

“I welcome the positive response to the Farm Assurance Review from Red Tractor and the input from all the sector boards. It demonstrates a desire to listen and make changes where appropriate. The key now is that we collectively use this opportunity as a reset moment, giving farmers a stronger voice in assurance, delivering better outcomes for everyone involved. I feel we are now on the right track, ready to make positive changes at pace.”

David Exwood, NFU Deputy President and member of Red Tractor Board

“The Farm Assurance Report has given the industry the firepower to drive positive change. The response to this report from Red Tractor demonstrates their clear commitment to improvement. The actions outlined are significant in ensuring the future success of assurance.”

Will Jackson, Industry Director, AHDB

“Retailers support Red Tractor because it assures customers of the high standard of care that goes into producing British food. However, for standards to work effectively, the farming sector must be engaged, listened to and well-understood. The Farm Assurance Review has helped surface key issues that all assurance schemes need to prioritise. The Red Tractor Board’s response has the collective endorsement of all Board representatives, including retail, and is one that I hope will be welcomed as we work hard to deliver our immediate and future commitments.”

Sophie Throup, Industry Director, British Retail Consortium

“Red Tractor has engaged with and seriously considered its response, which is to embrace the recommendations and implement them through collaboration with our stakeholders. Some of the recommendations may be challenging, uncomfortable and not popular with all, but recommendations cannot be viewed in isolation all the recommendations of the report need to be considered.”

John Dracup, Beef & Lamb Sector Chair

“In the dairy sector the Farm Assurance Review provides a useful platform from which Red Tractor can redouble its commitment to engage with farmers across all four nations of the United Kingdom, in order to reduce audit burden on farm without diminishing the rigour of our standards. This point in time will be a valuable reference point to measure progress towards those goals.”

Tim Lock, Dairy Sector Chair

“The UK FAR calls for action on all parts of the combinable crops sector which, as chair of the Red Tractor Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet Board, I fully support. It also signals the opportunity for us to re-engage with farmers, rebuilding trust and confidence. Red Tractor will undertake all of the steps suggested of it in the UKFAR.”

Kit Papworth, Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet Sector Chair

“The Pig Sector Board is dedicated to delivering the relevant recommendations listed in the Farm Assurance Review. Working with our processor and retail colleagues we will invest in a particular focus on reducing audit duplication and refining standards, including new standards to meet the whole industry’s needs.”

Stewart Houston, Pigs Sector Chair

“I am looking forward to working with the poultry sector board to improve communications with farmers, increase the consistency of audits and improve technology to reduce audit burden.”

Iain Gardner, Poultry Sector Chair

“There is enormous potential for Red Tractor to lead the change that is needed, through harnessing it’s unique position and better utilising technology such as its online portal. It is also necessary to recognise the role of certification bodies in this activity and to ensure that they are actively included in the development of appropriate solutions.”

Lucy MacLennan, Fresh Produce Sector Chair

“The British Poultry Council welcome the findings of the Farm Assurance Review. We look forward to working with the Red Tractor team to apply the recommendations and build on the foundations already in place.”

David Neilson, Industry Director, British Poultry Council

“On behalf of BMPA and its membership I welcome the FAR and the opportunity to deliver material change for a modern, efficient and valued Farm Assurance system that delivers benefits for the whole supply chain. Key within this is resetting relationships with the farming community as equitable partners that are invested in delivering assurance that is agile to meet changing needs, eases the audit burden and makes greater use of technology. I look forward to using our position along with the rest of the board to seize this opportunity to deliver the much needed actions committed to by the Red Tractor Board and leadership team as part of the FAR review.”

Dean Holroyd, Industry Director, British Meat Processing Association